I have to write an essay on Piñatas.

A three page Word Document. Thankfully, it is to be double spaced.

Does anyone know anything interesting about piñatas?

Any ideas on how to pull this off? It is due tomorrow. I know it is short, but I have no motivation on this depressing, rainy Sunday.

Why couldn't I get something cool and controversial, like immigration. Or something more vague, like Costa Rican culture, something with meat. Why Piñatas? Grrr.

Does it have to be factual? If not you can amke up some story. Some teachers love creativity

Does it require a certain font? I've learned that Courier fonts take up a lot more space. Hah college English 1 was filled with tips on how to be lazy.

As for the topic, I have no idea. They're fun to whack with a stick, that's really all I know.

Start Google'in.

Rex wrote:Does it have to be factual? If not you can amke up some story. Some teachers love creativity

I'm pretty sure she wants us to learn something. haha

xChorusOfAngelsx wrote:Does it require a certain font? I've learned that Courier fonts take up a lot more space. Hah college English 1 was filled with tips on how to be lazy.

As for the topic, I have no idea. They're fun to whack with a stick, that's really all I know.

Start Google'in.

Courier, got it. Thanks.

PiperC! wrote:

Rex wrote:Does it have to be factual? If not you can amke up some story. Some teachers love creativity

I'm pretty sure she wants us too learn something. haha

Well that sucks. I thought it would be just a writing exercise. I remember doing a few of those. They could be fun. Like that time when they had us to do the whole "How did you spend your summer " thing. I did it by telling of my epic journey on how I accompanied the reincarnation of Genghis Khan on his quest to defeat Socrates

xChorusOfAngelsx wrote:Does it require a certain font? I've learned that Courier fonts take up a lot more space. Hah college English 1 was filled with tips on how to be lazy.

As for the topic, I have no idea. They're fun to whack with a stick, that's really all I know.

Start Google'in.

hehehehe ^^


well, you can look up their history! i remember learning about the history of the Pinata in my Spanish 2 class last year, just cant remember what exactly it was!

So far I have learned that nobody can decide where they originated. The Spaniards say in Spain, the Mexicans in Mexico, but nobody really cares enough to debate it.

And Steph, anything you can whack with a stick is fun.

Some even say it may have originated in China. Apparently Marco Polo observed the Chinese making something very similar to pinatas and whacking them with a stick. Of course from my understanding, the purpose that Chinese may have used the Pinata's for is somewhat different from what they have become...

or something. *shrugs*

Man, wtf? Where did those little beasts come from?

How can you write 3 whole pages about a flamboyant creature that encourages violence? Maybe you can get extra credit if you bring one in and let your classmates have at it.

Ha ha. With the people in my Spanish Class, I would rather not. This would be a sure fire way to incite a riot.

Ironically, the actual whacking was originally a symbol for overcome sin.
I guess you got to get your sexual frustration out in some form or another. lol

Historically The Pinata can trace it's roots from the ancient Sumerian ritual knowns as Kaht-Mar. In it the priest would invoke all the evil spirits of the land and place them inside of an animal. Then they would blindfold themselves so that their soul won't be exposed to this evil and then beat the animal to death with their staffs. Then once the animal is death they would consume it's organs so that th evil would be contained.

This is also considered to be one of the origins of the Huo Jia Lu in Chinese cuisine.

Spoiler:

Thats disturbing Rex, but you are right that no one would check.

I have included clip art and frivilous childish language to speed things along. I am about to post it.

Piñatas, History and Culture


Piñata- a decorated vessel (as of papier-mâché) filled with candies, fruits, and gifts and hung up to be broken with sticks by blindfolded persons as part of especially Latin-American festivities (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Piñatas have been around for centuries as a staple of Latin American culture. Thought by some to have originated among the Aztecs or Mayans, modern Piñatas are a truly Mexican tradition. Although their origin is debated. Nevertheless piñatas are an interesting phenomenon, with an international spread.

The origin of piñatas are unclear. Some say they originated in Mexico, in perhaps the Mayan or Aztec cultures who made clay pots in the shape of their deities, meant to be broken. Their spilled contents to signify the gifts of their gods to the people. Others say they were brought there by Spanish Conquistadors, after Marco Polo witnessed on his travels the Chinese fashioning animal figures and beating them on the new years to release colorful seeds. They say that the similarity of this tradition to the Mayan one was the reason for its popularity. Either way, the practice of breaking piñatas has permeated all Latin cultures. The advent of modern piñata traditions, however, are believed to have came about in the 16th century as a way for Spanish missionaries to integrate the native, pagan peoples into their Christmas celebrations. Basically used to evangelize their religion of Catholicism. Thus the practice of breaking piñatas on Christmas began.

As another example in the difference between piñatas ancient and modern use, is the preferred shape of the vessel. Traditionally, the European influenced Piñatas were meant to be star-shaped, with seven points representing the seven deadly sins, and the bright colors, temptation. The blindfolded whacking was a symbol of the virtue and will to overcome both. Today, they come in a plethora of shapes, from symbols like hearts and moons, to pop-culture characters, like the super awesome really cool sponge-bob ones. Piñatas are used mostly in Latin American countries, but still have a special prominence, the southern United States. They are however, beginning to appear in Europe and Asia. Particularly in India, as they are the only not Mexico country to have adopted the tradition in cultural celebrations, not just children's ones.

The designs of piñatas differ widely, but the composition nowadays is pretty much the same. They are made of cardboard and colorful streamer paper, and are filled with candies, chocolate, and small gifts. The most common ritual is to take turns blind-folding each person in a group, disorienting them by spinning, giving them a stick or baseball bat, and then watching and laughing hysterically as they try and fail to hit the piñata. Although less funny, a safer way to break a piñata is for each person to pull on a string attached to a trap door at the bottom of the piñata. After the contents have been released, you frantically gather as much candy as you can from the floor and hide it in your bra, pockets etc., if your hostess was lazy and didn’t provide you with a bag.

One more interesting aspect of piñatas are the similar traditions found in other cultures across the globe. The Japanese have a similar practice involving a watermelon, called suikawari, and the Dutch have one involving a wooden barrel. Both are meant to be struck to reap the abundance of the treats inside. The persistence of the piñata and like traditions, and the ability of the practice to spread through and touch so many cultures show that this fun, frivolous activity is one truly natural to humans of all kinds.

Bibliography: Wiki's article on piñatas, and here http://www.ishopsouthwest.com/pinatas_history_of_pinatas.html

Awesometastic. A+

Wait... Are you allowed to cite Wikipedia?

Not without the proper analysis of the information you get from wikipedia. Wikipedia is best served as an overview. Mostly you should trust the info that indicates that it has a citation. At the bottom of every wikipedia page is the... uh citation page equivilant or whatever. Its there you should further search the info and make sure the sites themselves are reliable.

If you know how to use wikipedia, then it becomes a very useful site. It tells and describes much of what you need right away. Its then you have to go to the links and articles it lists as sources.

All about knowing how to use it. Of course even books can easily contain misinformation. Which is why my 9th grade speech teacher told us not to use books as sources that are older then like 5 years. As while the information may have been current when it was first published, it doesn't necessarily mean new discoveries and new conclusions have been made and such.

LMAO! I first saw this and for the life of me, couldn't remember what a pinata was... I had them mixed up with pina coladas! (I am pretty sure I misspelled that!)
Obviously my brain doesn't work today... Or maybe that last pina colada was one too much?

Good job on the essay! I like it! And you know it's good if Hannah likes it! :p

And Steph, anything you can whack with a stick is fun.

It's trufax! That's the only reason why my sister is so fun!

Well that sucks. I thought it would be just a writing exercise. I remember doing a few of those. They could be fun. Like that time when they had us to do the whole "How did you spend your summer " thing. I did it by telling of my epic journey on how I accompanied the reincarnation of Genghis Khan on his quest to defeat Socrates

Haha! I so wanna read that! What grade did you get? I so know what I'm doing if I ever find myself with that dreaded assignment again!

It's not English class, so I think Wikipedia is okay. Its only a 10 point bonus essay. Normally I would be to tight assed to use Wiki on any real project. lol